Midnight Moonshine
by WretchedWonderland
Summary: Set in the middle of s4x16 "A". Daryl is reunited with Rick and company at the wrong time. When He is ready to sacrifice his life to die with his family all hell breaks lose. A certain blonde that stole his heart on a night of moonshine saves him. And she will continue saving him until the end of forever. Bethyl ZA.


I woke up to the smell of smoke in the air and the chill of winter blanketing my skin. I sat up groggily trying to find my bearings. The small gathering of twine and twigs I had stacked together earlier to make a fire had long since been out. With no fire to shine in the dark woods it took my eyes a good five minutes to adjust. Still in the stage of waking the first thing I looked for was Daryl. The realization that I was still without him hit me like a ton of bricks for the thousandth time since I got taken over two month ago.

I stood up stretching out my aching muscles. I had slept on the ground for the past three nights, unable to find decent shelter. I gathered my thin knapsack and few supplies I had into my pack. My simple handgun weighed heavy in my worn out holster. My hunting knife was on my other side. I slung my bag over my shoulder and tried to figure out where I should go. I tilted my head towards the moon and felt dawn approaching. Opening my eyes slowly I saw wisps of smoke rolling towards the sky from the west.

Now I'm a smart girl. I was smart before I learned how to survive out here. I was smart before Daryl stuck in me some of his ways, but as I watched those small whispers of smoke crawl away from the ground I felt drawn to where they were coming from. I took three steps to the right, over to where a large tree stood. I circled the tree and knocked the brush away from the base of tree to reveal my most important weapon. I had come across it two months ago in a broken down house. It was hidden among a roll out case of hunting knives, my handgun, and a rifle. The rifle had just been dead weight and damn strong enough to knock me on my butt. But there nestled at the bottom of that chest had been a sleek, silver, hunting bow with all the bells and whistles needed for our threatening world. I had started with 17 arrows and i still had a good few of the originals. I had learned how to make my own a few weeks back and since then I've started using the bow often.

I crept slowly through the trees and bushes listening for the dangerous moans and groans that have since replaced the sounds of the woods before the turn. It didn't take long to get near the smoke. I began to step slower and quieter still skeptical about what I would find at the source. Voices started to carry to me from a ways away.

"Well boys what should we do with the cowboy and his nigger?" A deep, gruff voice hollered.

"I'll take the lady." another voice chimed in.

A car door slams and there's a protesting voice, almost child like. "Let me go you bastards." An almost familiar voice.

"Found me a fighter, Joe!"

"Put him with the other's!" There's cackling and my heart is pounding.

I begin to step backwards not wanting to alert this group of radicals to where I was.

I almost got out of there. I almost left the trapped group for dead. I almost unknowingly left my family to die. But then I heard his voice, low and gruff just as I remembered it.

"These here people are claimed." Daryl's voice called out.

My heart stopped and everything slowed down. I crept to the edge of the forest. I had to see. I had to be sure. The foliage got thinner as some sort of argument started. I slowly got on my knees in behind a large gathering of bushes.

"Daryl you now these people were claimed by me before you decided to waltz out here." I almost wept as I heard his name. My eyes sought him out and found him facing my direction. His eyes were trained on the barrel of a gun pointing right in his face, the holder of the gun being a graying man that I could only see from behind.

"Please sir we mean no harm. Just leave me, my boy, and my friend alone." Another familiar voice rasped out. I tore my eyes from Daryl only to be thrown off track again. Sitting on their knees with guns to their heads are Rick and Michonne. Their respected weapons sit out of reach in front of them and their hands are bound behind them. There's a car near me and leaning on the hood is a repulsive, sweaty man with a knife to Carl's neck. My hands clench on my bow angrily.

"Afraid I can't do that cowboy. As for you Daryl you either stand with us and kill that man or you get on your knees and die with them." The graying man snickers.

My heart clenches and Daryl looks at our family sitting there and I know what he's going to do because I know what kinda man Daryl Dixon is. Daryl lowers his crossbow and slides it away from him. He lowers to his knees slowly, looking like a defeated puppy in the process. There's now a barrel of a riffle jabbing into his temple.

"Now boys, do what you will, but leave the cowboy for me."

"Yes Joe." The group responds to the graying man.

The scumbag holding Carl pushes him to the ground and lays half his weight on top of the young man. Carl struggles hollering out for someone to help him. I feel my eyes well up with hot angry tears as a man rips off Michonne's shirt. Carl's pants are off now as the man tries to get him to shut up his screaming by beating him in the gut until Carl turns his head and pukes.

I am angry and lost as I watch my family being murdered. Nothing is in the right perspective and my head is all jumbled up trying to figure out what to do. That is until I see someone throw a punch at Daryl. Then there's nothing but primal instinct. My bow is notched with an arrow in no time. Before I know it there's an arrow through Ricks gunman and Carl's molester. Everyone's in a frenzy all of the sudden turning towards where the arrows are coming from, but all I see is red. My throwing knife is now in the graying man's shoulder and Rick is now beating Michonne's captor to a bloody pulp. Someone throws a small knife in my direction but i roll and land up on my knees before shooting a bow into the stomach of the man that tried to kill me.

He lands in a groaning heap. I realized then that I was clearing a path to Daryl. He's currently standing over Joe. Suddenly there's a bolt in his head and the fight is over. The other's stand to the side. I see Rick approach me then and he hugs me good and long. I return it grinning, but my eyes are stuck on Daryl and he turns to me and stares. Rick pulls back and I manage to pull my eyes from Daryl's long enough to smile at Rick.

He chuckles and pats my head "Looks like there's a new sheriff in town!"

Rick steps back and goes back to Carl. Michonne is next to approach me. She smiles beautifully and hugs me with all the love of a mother. She kisses my hair and whispers to me. "I'm glad you're back." And that's it. She steps away.

Carl, although shaken, walks over to me with a face cracking grin on his face. He's grown since I last saw him and now comes eye level with me. He hugs me tightly with all the strength of a young man.

"I'm so glad you found us. I've been hoping to see ya again." I laugh and tip his hat down over his eyes.

"I missed you too you dork" I'm laughing to everyone, but all I can think about is how I can feel his hot gaze glaring into my back.

He hasn't spoken since the fight broke out and I already miss his voice, but what can I say, I've gone two and a half months without it. I nod to the three I've already reconnected with and turn away. His eyes automatically find mine. His icy blues pierce my deep greens with the familiarity I've craved every since that car pulled away from him. He's still frozen so I take the first step towards him. He rushes forward then and stops directly in front of me. He reaches out to touch me, but his fingers hang in the air.

"This real?" He grunts out looking at me directly.

I nod and he releases a breath before brushing my wild hair back from my face "Missed ya girl."

I shake my head and launch myself at him. He's startled I can tell. His muscles are tense as I wrap my arms around him and breathe in his scent. Slowly he relaxes and holds my elbow just as he did the last time I hugged him from the front. He smooths the back of my hair down awkwardly with the other hand.

He places his hands on my shoulders after awhile and moves away from me gently. "Okay girl, it ain't a damn romance novel." He mutters and if it weren't for the smirk I might have been upset, but I knew what he meant.

Rick and Carl had just finished making sure all the bandits would stay dead and I reprimanded myself for not doing so sooner.

Rick and Daryl greet each other for the first time with one of those 'man hugs' and leave it at that. Daryl nods at Michonne and she nods back with a smile. Daryl flings Carl's hat off and ruffles his hair. Carl punches Daryl in the gut and he gasps out in pain. I frown and Daryl looks at me and shrugs.

"One of the fuckers got a few real good punches in. Probably justa few bruised ribs is all." He says down casting his gaze, but he's lying, he winces every time he breathes.

I let it slide for now noticing its breaking daylight and the death groans are getting closer. We need shelter before we take note of injuries. "Pack up what you got and what you can take from these guys and let's go. Daylight's starting to burn and we need shelter to rest." I say.

Daryl looks at me with a smirk on his face and something that looks an awful lot like pride in his eyes, but he'd deny it if I called him out.

After taking a few weapons off them, all the ammo, and the brunt of the food we started off down the road. The walk was a silent one, only killing walkers when needed. After being apart for so long you'd think we'd be talkin each other's ears off, but the exhaustion from the fight and walking had taken its toll. Not to mention we all had some sort of injury slowing us down, whether emotional or physical. Daryl walked close to me often letting his hand brush mine or touching my shoulder. His eyes kept flitting over to my bow and once again he seemed proud. Every time I shot an arrow off into a walkers skull he grinned to himself hoping I wouldn't notice. I did. By dusk we ended up in some sub-division. We approached a safe looking blue house with a wide front porch. Daryl stood at the front with Rick behind him then Michonne then me. Carl huffed behind me, upset at being in the back. I held my hunting knife by my side not wanting to waste any ammo or arrows unless needed. Daryl kicks the door a few times and waits to see if any moans come from the other side. After a few moments of silence he opens the door.

"Rick and I will take upstairs, Michonne check the perimeter, Carl and Beth check out down here." Daryl orders and we all nod.

I watch Daryl and Rick venture up the stairs slowly. I watch until they walk into the first room. Carl decides to lead and I let him, not wanting to hurt his ego. The first room we enter in the living room. The walls have few bloodstains on them, but what used to be a coffee table is now smashed in the corner with a decaying corpse on top. Carl approaches it slowly and stabs it in the head. If it wasn't dead before it sure is now.

We clear the small hall bathroom and closets. The kitchen is clean as a whistle and I want to check for food, but there is still one more room we need to check before hand. Its the master bedroom and it looks almost untouched. If it weren't for the few items of clothing strewn out of drawers you might think no one was here when it began. I take the lead this time creeping into the walk in closet. Its clear of anything dangerous. The last area is the master bathroom. Without thinking I open the door, figuring It'd be clean like the rest of the house. The second the door slams against the wall I'm taken down by a walker at least twice my size and decaying to the highest degree. My knife fell out of my hand when I fell back and as its teeth close in on my neck I scream.

"Daryl!"

"Beth!" I hear feet on the steps and I'm wondering why Carl hasn't taken him out yet when my hands close around my knife. I bring the knife up and shove it threw the back of the walkers skull. Its now dead weight on top of me. I push and shove, but to no avail. Someone walks into the room.

"Oh god Beth. Are you okay?" Daryl asks as he shoves the walker off me.

With no hesitation his hands and eyes look me over, checking for scratches or bites.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." I assure him and Rick, Carl and Michonne rush into the room.

"We heard screaming is everyone okay?" Rick asks.

"Just a walker. Took me by surprise is all, wasn't bein careful." I shrug.

Daryl rounds on Carl "You. Where were you? You were supposed to have her back." He growls.

"I-I'm sorry man. I didn't see the master bathroom. I thought she knew I left. I didn't know."

"Son you gotta be more responsible than that." Rick reprimands and Carl nods.

Daryl storms out of the rooms and I smile at everyone before following him out. I find him on the back steps smoking another damn cigarette. I sit next to him, close enough to touch if one of us moves.

"I'm okay you know. Just another walker." I say without looking at him.

He grunts at me and shrugs. I sigh "I missed you too by the way. Every minute since I got taken." I mutter the last part.

He makes no noise of affirmation that he heard me. We sit in silence for a few minutes.

"Why'd you freak out?" I say and lay my hand on top of his. "Come on tell me." I coax him.

He looks at me through his hair with those broken eyes "I was just I don't know worried something got to ya again. I just found ya in all. Don't wantcha goin no where for awhile." He looks at the ground again.

"Well I think I'll stick around for awhile. So don't you worry." He looks at me and smiles that lopsided smile at me.

"Come on girl, let's go see where our gang has been for so long. Got them some s'plannin to do." He smirks widely.

I roll my eyes, but inside I'm bracing myself because I know I'm gonna have to explain what happened to me as well.


End file.
